Machine for setting vehicle-tires.



PATENTEDOGT. 27,1903. H. R. AULD. MACHINE FOR SETTING VEHIOLBVTIRESFAPPLICATION FILED JAN. 21, 1903' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

HO MODEL.

PATENTED OCT. 27, 1903,

I H. R. AULD. MAGHINB- FOR SETTING VEHICLE TIRES.

APPLICATION PILED JAN ZI", 1903.

m 6 m 5 8 K a n M 4 if... al m? ZZ/ZAFWMWKV/ IIIII 5 a! will a N0 MODEL.

I of one of the wire-gripping clamps.

UNITED STATES Patented October 27, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

HUGH R. AULD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN J.MCGLINCHY, OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR SETT ING VEHICLE-TIRES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 742,556, dated October27, 1903.

Application filed January 21, 1903. Serial No. 139,899. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HUGH R. AULD, of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Machines for Setting Vehicle-Tires, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for setting wired rubber tires onvehicle-wheels; and its objects are to reduce the size and complicationof such apparatus, to increase the facility of operation, and improvethe apparatus in other respects, as will more fully here inafter appear.

In the form of my invention shown in the accompanying drawings I employa base provided with two upright guide-rods or standards connected by ayoke at the top and having two slides mounted on it one above the other,the lower slide supporting the wheel, while the upper slide supports themechanism for operating on the tire. Two clamps of novel constructionhold theextremities of the wires while their ends are being brazed, anda wire-winding drumdraws the wires to the desired tension previous tobeing cut. This drum also operates a chain having a clamp to grip thewheel-rim and rotate the latter after the wires have been spliced,whereby the rubber of the tire is equalized-that is, its ends beingbrought together- -there being employed for this purpose a swinging armhaving clamp members which embrace one extremity of the tire and crowdit toward the other extremity when the wheel is rotated. To mount andoperate the wiregripping clamps, I employ a compound screw rotated by apawl-lever and ratchet and a clamp-guiding rod parallel to said'screw.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of atire-setting machineconstructed in accordance with my invention with thewheel in position. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3represents a detail front elevation showing the operation of the partswhich equalize the tire. Fig. 4 represents a sectional view Fig. 5

represents a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 4:. Fig. 6 represents a detailside elevation showing the ratchet and pawl for rotating the compoundscrew. Fig. 7 represents a section on line 7 7 of Fig. 3.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

In the drawings, 10 is a base in which are secured parallel uprightstandards or guiderods 11, connected by a yoke 12 at their upper ends.

13 is a U -shaped slide having long bearingsleeves at its ends embracingthe rods 11. This slide has a horizontal arbor 14- for supporting thevehicle-wheel 15.

17 is a collar adjustably fixed to one of the rods 11 by a set-screw 18and to which ispivoted at 19 a lever 20, connected by a link 21 with theslide 13, the purpose being to raise and lower the slide 13 andbringwheels of difierent diameters into proper relation with the mechanismfor operating on the tires. A set-screw 22 is provided for fixing theslide 13 on its guides.

Mounted on the guide-rods 11 above the slide 13 is a second slide,composed of hearing blocks or sleeves 26 26, connected by a horizontalguide-rod 27 and journaling a screw 28, having threads of opposite pitchon its respective halves.

29 29 are clamp-supporting blocks having threaded apertures occupied bythe threads on the screw 28 and bearing apertures occupied by theguide-rod 27. It will be seen that by a rotation of the screw 28 theblocks 29 other and guided in their movements by the rod 27. On the endof the screw 28 close to one of the blocks 26 is mounted a ratchetwheel30, engaged by a pawl 31, attached to a lever 32, which is looselypivoted on the end of the screw-rod. This mechanism atfords a compactmeans for rotating'the screw without necessitating an extension of thelatterbeyond the radial limits of the wheel.

In the upper portions of the blocks 29 are mounted wire-gripping clamps,one of which is shown in detail in Fig. 4. Said clamp consists of aremovable fixed plate or jaw 34, seated in an aperture in the block 29and held from longitudinal movement by lugs 35 35 on said jaw, a slidingplate or jaw 36, and an interposed plate 37, mounted to slide on a T-guide 38 on the jaw 36. The members 34 36 will be moved toward and awayfrom each ICO 37 are grooved at 39 39 to form channels for receiving twowires. It is obvious that this principle of construction may be appliedto a clamp for holding a greater or less number of wires oratire-retaining band. On the threaded rear end 40 of the jaw 36 is anadjustingnut 41, forming an abutment for a lever 42. The latter isfulcrumed at its lower end on the block 29 and retained by a pin 43, andis provided at its upper end with a pivoted lever 44, having a cam forbearing on the block 29, thereby oscillating the lever 42 and drawingback the jaw 36 to clamp the wires or permitting the clamp to loosen.

In the jaw 36 of the right-hand clamp 33 as viewed in Fig. 1 arechannels or holes 46 46 for the passage of one end of the wires to thepreliminary tightening device, and clampscrews 47 47 are provided forholding in check either or both wires which pass through said channels.

48 is a drum journaled on the right-hand block 26 as viewed in Fig. 1and rotated by a double-spoked hand-lever 49, said drum havingwire-channels 50 50 located closer together than the usual distancebetween the wires of a tire and formed in two end blocks 51 51, and anintermediate plate or block 52, all of which may be drawn together by anut 53 to clamp the wires to the drum.

On the arbor of the drum 48 is pivoted a lever 54 55, having clamp-arms56 adapted to embrace the sides of the rubber tire and drawn together bya screw-lever 57. There is also a roller 58, mounted on a secondarylever 59, pivoted to the lever 54 for pressing on the periphery of thetire.

60 is a chain removably attached to the inner part of drum 48 by a pin61 entering a hole in said drum and having at its opposite end anadjustable clamp 62 for gripping the rim of the wheel 15.

To counterbalance the weight of the slide 26 27 and attached parts,there is provided a weight 23, mounted to slide on the lower part of theguide-rods 11 and connected with the blocks 26 by chains 24 24, passingover pulleys 25 25, surmounting the yoke 12.

As above described, the slide 13 of the wheelsupporting means is readilyadjusted by means of the lever 20, and the said lever is pivoted to thecollar 17, which is adjustably fixed to one of the rods 11 of the frameor standard. It will therefore be readily understood that the entirewheel-supporting means may be moved to any position on the frame withinthe limits prescribed by the bottom of the frame or the counterweight 23and the position of the head including the upper slide 26 27, and ofcourse the upper slide may be adjusted to any position on said frame orstandard between the limits prescribed by the upper ends of the frameand the position of the lower slide.

The wheel-supporting slide and the headslide may either of them be movedon the frame or standard to a position previously 00- cupied by theother. For instance, if a wheel considerably smaller than that indicatedby dotted lines in Fig. l is to be operated upon, the lower slide may bemoved so far down that the upper slide will when brought to operativeposition be moved to a position below that occupied by the lower slideor the collar 17 in said figure. On the other hand, if a much largerwheel is to be operated upon, the lower slide may be raised so far thatthe collar 17 will be moved to or beyond the position occupied by theupper slide in said Fig. 1. This construction provides for a very simpleand easy adjustment that enables the machine to be employed foroperating upon wheels of all possible sizes or dimensions for differentkinds of vehicles.

The operation is as follows: For vehiclewheels of small and intermediatesizes the slide 26 27 is set at about the relative height seen in thedrawings, so that a man standing on the floor on which the base 10 isset may conveniently reach the top of the wheel and the parts carried bysaid slide. The wheel is placed on the arbor 14 and the upper edge ofits felly brought close underneath the clamps 33 by using the lever 20to raise or lower the slide 13. It will be noted that the U shape ofsaid slide admits long wheel-hubs and also permits the wheel body andrim to be brought close to the standard 11 even when the wheelhub islong. This is one feature which enables n10 to employ a comparativelylight and narrow guiding structure 11. Furthermore, since the wheel-rimis brought close to the vertical standards the wire-holding jaws aremade comparatively short and are therefore stronger than in machineswhich support the wheel-rim at some considerable distance from thejaw-carrier. When very large wheels, such as hansom-wheels, are beingoperated on, the slide 26 27 is raised, and the operator then stands ona support, such as a box, alongside of the machine; but by allowing theslide 26 27 and related parts to be raised and lowered I do not need tomaintain the same at an excessive height for all wheels. When the wheelis in position, with the tire loose and its wires unjoined, one end ofeach wire is fixed in the right-hand clamp 33,said clamps beingseparated a considerable distance. The other ends of the wires arepassed through the loosened left-hand clamp 33, through the holes 46 inthe right-hand clamp, and are secured in the grooves 50 of the drum 48.The latter is then rotated by means of handle 49 and the wires wound upon the portions 51 of said drum. The tire is thus drawn up tight to therim of the wheel, and the rubber is stripped or compressed back on thewires by abutting against the clamps 33. If there is an uneven tensionon the wires, the tighter one is held by one of the check-screws 47 andreleased from the drum 48, and the looser wire is then tightened singlyby means of said drum. After the tire is tightened the wires are grippedbysetting up the left-hand clamp IlO 33, and the ends are cut to thedesired length and joined or spliced in the usual manner. After joiningthe ends of the wires the next operation is to equalize the tire bybringing the ends of the rubber together, and this is accomplished bymeans of the chain 60 and lever 54. The latter is swung down into itsoperative position, as shown in Fig. 3, and the jaws 56 caused toembrace the sides of the rubber with considerable friction, but nottightly enough to prevent the tire from slipping through said jaws. Theclamp 62 is se cured to the telly of the wheel and the handle 49rotated, so as to wind up the chain 60 on the drum 48 and draw the clamp62 and the portion of the wheel-rim to which it is fixed toward the jaws55 56. Said jaws and the roll 58 press and crowd the end portion of thetire with which they are engaged'toward the other end until the endsmeet,whereupon the operation of the machine upon the tire is complete.By suitably forming or constructing the clamp members 55 56 or similarmembers on the lever 54 the operation of scraping the tire-channel maybe performed with the lever 54.

It is understood that various modifications in construction may be madewithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

a I claim--.

1. In a machine for setting rubber tires, the combination, of a frame-or standard, wheel-supporting means and a head adjustably mounted onsaid frame or standard and each capable of being moved to and beyond aposition previously occupied by the other on said frame or standard, andmeans on said head for gripping the tire-securing wire or strap.

2. In a machine for setting rubber tires, the combination ofWheel-supporting means, and a device for gripping a plurality oftire-securing wires or strips of a wheel mounted on said means, the samecomprising a jaw-supporting block, fixed and sliding jaws mounted insaid block, an intermediate plate between said jaws, a nut on thesliding jaw, a fulcrumed lever cooperating with said nut, and a camleverfor oscillating said fulcrumed lever.

3. In a machine for setting rubber tires, the

combination of wheel-supporting means, a pair of wire or strip grippingdevices each comprising relatively movable jaws, one of the jaws of oneof said devices having a portion extending across the opening betweenthe jaws and formed with channels to receive the wires from the otherdevice, manually-movable screws for clamping the wires in said channels,and means for tightening the wires.

4. In a machine for setting rubber tires, the combination ofwheel-supporting means, wire or strip gripping devices, a wire windingdrum, a flexible band-like device winding on said drum, a tire-crowdingdevice, and means for gripping the wheel to rotate it by said device.

5. In a machine for setting rubber tires, the combination ofwheel-supporting means, wire or strip gripping devices, a wire windingdrum, and a member mounted to swing on the arbor of said drum and havingtire-crowding means.

6. In a machine for setting rubber tires, the combination ofwheel-supporting means, wire or strip gripping devices,wire-windin gmeans, wheel-rotating means operated by said wirewinding means,

7. In a machine for setting rubber tires, the

combination of wheel-supporting means,

wheel rotating means, and a stationarilymounted tire-crowdin g device,said wheel-rotating means including a felly-clamp, a drum mounted behindthe tire-crowding device,and a flexible connection between said clampand said drum.

8. In a machine for setting rubber tires, the combination of wheelsupporting means, wheel-rotating means, and a member pivoted to swinginto operative and inoperative positions and having tire-crowding means,said wheelrotating means including a felly-clamp, a drum mounted behindthe tire-crowding device, and a flexible connection between said clampand drum.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

HUGH R. AULD. Witnesses:

R. M. PIERSON, A. O. RATIGAN.

and a tire-crowding device.

